إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ لَوَٰقِعٌ 7
Translations
Indeed, the punishment of your Lord will occur.
Transliteration
Inna 'adhaba Rabbika la-wāqi'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah asserts with absolute certainty that the punishment of Allah will inevitably come to pass. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the particle 'inna' combined with 'la' (the emphatic negation) creates a powerful affirmation that Allah's punishment is not merely possible but inevitable and unavoidable. Al-Qurtubi notes this serves as a warning to the disbelievers of Mecca who rejected the Prophet Muhammad, emphasizing that divine retribution is certain regardless of their denial.
Revelation Context
Surah At-Tur was revealed in Mecca during a period of intense rejection and mockery of the Prophet by the Quraysh. This ayah appears in the opening section of the surah where Allah swears by various signs of creation (the Mount, the written tablet, the guarded tablet, the frequented house, the raised roof, and the swollen sea) to establish the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the inevitability of Allah's punishment for those who reject His message.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The most truthful word spoken by any poet is the statement of Labid: 'Verily, everything other than Allah is false' (Sahih Bukhari 3838). This relates to the absolute reality of Allah's punishment as opposed to the fleeting nature of worldly denials. Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'The Hour will surely come, and the Hour will be most disastrous and most bitter' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2219), correlating with the inevitability expressed in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a sobering reminder that consequences for rejecting divine guidance are inevitable and inescapable, urging believers to take seriously their relationship with Allah and to warn others with compassion about the reality of accountability. For modern readers, it emphasizes that moral and spiritual negligence cannot be indefinitely postponed—justice and reckoning are certain realities that should shape how we live our lives.
Related Ayahs
وَأَنِ ٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ وَٱحْذَرْهُمْ أَن يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنۢ بَعْضِ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُصِيبَهُم بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَفَـٰسِقُونَ
And judge, [O Muḥammad], between them by what Allāh has revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allāh has revealed to you. And if they turn away - then know that Allāh only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins. And indeed, many among the people are defiantly disobedient.
إِن تَكْفُرُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ ٱلْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا۟ يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
If you disbelieve - indeed, Allāh is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it for you; and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
۞ وَإِذَا صُرِفَتْ أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تِلْقَآءَ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلنَّارِ قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا مَعَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And when their eyes are turned toward the companions of the Fire, they say, "Our Lord, do not place us with the wrongdoing people."
وَلَوْلَآ أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَـٰتِكَ وَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands put forth [of sins] and they would say, "Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?"...